Synopsis
The third book in the Finest trilogy where Equine mystical guardians surreptitiously influence the ways of men, and a young woman saves her brother, the newly crowned king, from being misled into a series of wars that will spread carnage over the lands.
VOYA
Those who call themselves the Finest in Rabe's world are somewhat psychic and spiritual beings with the ability to move freely between their own paradisiacal realm and the dangerous but intriguing medieval world of the Fallen (mankind). Although they take the shape of horses and use this form to shepherd their charges-much in the way of a guardian angel-their abilities are greater than those of genuine equines. Rabe uses a variety of perspectives in this volume, the most important of which is the voice of Gallant-Stallion, who admires the moral integrity of his charge and worries about developing evils, especially among the birds. His charge, Kalantha, sister to the weak and sometimes war-mongering king, recognizes that only with her help can the senseless violence tearing two countries apart be stopped. The developing self-consciousness of several evil birds, who make their living off the leavings of or even the battle carrion of mankind, round out the voices in the story. Rabe's novel sustains a good balance between description and action; her fantasy world is imaginative enough to sustain a reader's curiosity and familiar enough to feel comfortable. Yet the lack of growth in her characters undermines their appeal. Neither her good characters nor her bad ones change in either bold or subtle ways. Once they are introduced, they are almost completely known and predictable. Consequently Rabe creates a pleasant but unremarkable fantasy novel.